Process of forming welting for boots and shoes.



W; B. ARNOLD. PROCESS OF FORMING WELTING POR BOOTS AND SHOES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1913.

'/sn/a' mgm@ WIIiLIlVM B. ARNOLD, 0F' NORTH ABINGTON, IVISSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS OF FORMING WEL'lING FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

To all whom, t may concern,

Be it known that I, VILLIAM B. AnNoLo, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of North Abington, `in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Processes of Forming lVelting for Boot-s and Shoes, ot' which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to the process ot forming Welting for boots and shoes.

ln order that the principle of the invention may bc readily understood, I shall set forth the steps constituting the 'process and the best mode known to me for carrying the process into effect.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown Welts formed 'by my process and have therein indicated the steps involved in plying the same to boots and shoes.

Re erring more particularly to the drawing :'-F igure l is a plan view of a portion of a duplex Welting strip made in accordance with my invention;l Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through said strip, the line of severance being indicated; F ig. 3 is a `view similar to Fig. 2, but representing thetwo welting strips segregated; and Figs. Ll and 5 are partial transverse sections taken through a shoe, and representing the manner otapplying thereto the two welting strips produced in accordance with my invention.

The high cost of leather renders neces` sary the saving of all possible material. It is therefore extremely desirable that the welts for boots and shoes be cut with the least possible waste. VVelts are usually cut as strips ot indeterminate length from a blank by cuts which are |normal to the faces ot the blank` lar in cross section when cut from the blank.

lto

though in 'some cases a. strip Wide enough for twowelts has been cut from a blank, as

shown, for example, in Figs. 3 and 6 of the patentA to Hadaway, No. 744,752, the said strip being cut int-o tveo' welts by a cnt ri11- Specifica tion of- Letters latent.

Application filed January 25 19H3.

so that the welt is rectangu-y V Patented Apta i/J2, i913. Serial No. 744,079,

clined to thetaces of the strip, as there insuming that the extreme width or" a welt is to be one halt inch, and assuming that each welt should have atapered edge topermit it to be secured in more effective manner to the shoe, 'ehe-u instead of cutting the leather blank into ystrips cach rectangular in cross sect-io' and one halt inch in width along each tate, lf cu the blank, in ordcrgfto form a du pier; welt, into two strips, by t i"ee eontinuous, longit` iinal cuts. two of .vln a are' normal to the surfaces of .the blank and are spaced apart a distance equaling the Width of two welting strips,-that is, the 1width of the duplex stri1: ,therebyin the embodiment of the invention herein shown. but to which l am not lin'iite l,-to torni the outer edge of one of the members of such. dupleX strip and the inner edge of the othermember thereo. and bv an intermediate, longitudinal cut extending entirely through the welt at an inclination to the surfaces thereof to torni the other ot each ot' said strips.

Referring now to that specific embodi ment ot' the invention herein showm either previous to. simultaneously w h or subsequent. to 'the cutting of the duple; welting strips.r l groove the tiesh tace o1 the ma terial along lines adjacent to the inner edge of each oi. said strips. -s set forth more fully hereinafter, the square edge of one welt constitutes its inner edge and the tapered edge of the other .welt constitutes the inner edge of thatv Welt. vThe grooveto each of said strips is adjacent to the inner edge thereof. These grooves are comparatively shallow, and 'therefore each groove is spaced from the inner edge by a continuous or unbroken ridge, the adjoining surface of which is formed by theiactual'lesh surface of the welting strip, andthe other or opposite surface of which is formed by the grain surface of the welting strip. Such ridge or shoulder is therefore of the 'ulh'unimpaired thickness oft e' Welting strip, 4and hence provides a most efficient stitch anchoring shoulder. t'n both cases, the WidthA of the grain face portion ot the ridge kor shoulder sists the tearin is that of the fun orfmaximum width or such ridge or shoulder. Inasmuch as the grain face is of stronger texture and restress upon the applied stitching, it fo lows that such 'ridge or shoulder is of maximum strength and elficiency. Moreover, I save a step in the man` ufacture of one of the welting strips, be-

-cause heretofore it has been customary when bcveling an edge of the welting strip to cut the wet into arectangular form 1n cross section and thereafter to bevel the inner L edge thereof. I am enabled to dispense with said beveling as a separate operation,

and after' the welt-ine' strip has been applied to the boot or shoe, then remove from the inner edge of the welting strip having a '1 tapered inner edge, by one operation, the material required to be severed therefrom welting strip has been severed from the stock twocontinuous, longitudinal cuts normal to the surfaces of the blank and spaced apart. a distance equalin the width of the two welting strips, there y to for1n the outer edge of the welting strip 1 and the inner edge of the welting strip 2, said two cuts being indicated at 5 and 6. The duplex strip is severed into two welting strips b v an intermediate, longitudinal cut 7 extending entirely through the blank at an unvarying angle,-that is, by a single cutting operationy effected by a single severinor blade inclined to the surface of the strlp. In this manner, the outer edge 8 of the welting strip 1 and the inner edge 9 of the welting strip'2 are inclined. It will be noted that in the case ofthe welting strip 1, the flesh face/3 thereof extendsy beyond the grain face ,4, while the converse is true of ther welting strip 2. Each of the welting strips possesses advantagesiiwing from such characteristics, as'will 'be set forth more fully with respect to Figs. 4 and 5. Each welting stripfs grooved as in'dicated at 10, 11 to provi a stitch anchoring shoulder, and it will be observed that in each case I have represented the groove as at the same distance from the adjacent edge of that face ,of the welt in which Vit is formed, thisbeing the preferred const-ruction. Furthermore and in accordance with the essential feature of the invention, it will be observed that in each case the portion of the welting strip that is between its groove 10 or 11 and the adjacent edge, namely, the edges 5 and 9 respectively, is of the full thickness of the welt measurin4 from face to face, or, in other words, eac

groove is spaced from4 the inner edge of the welt wherein it is formed, by 4an unbroken, longitudinal ridge 13, 13` formed by. the very or actual fiesh face of the said welting strips. In other words, each welting strip from edge to edge of the'narrower face is of the'full, unreduce'dlthickness of the welting strip, and therefore between the inner edge of each welting strip and the .stitch anchoring Groove 10 or 11 thereof, there is 'preserved a longitudinal portion which is of the full, unimpaired thickness of the welt-ing strip, `This is of the utmost importance, as it prevents the tearing out of the inner edge of the welting strip by the stitches, Vwhich heretofore has so frequently occurred, owing to the stress to which they 'are subjected. In other words, inasmuch as the stitch by which the welt is secured to the shoe,passes through the base of the said grooves 10, 1l, thestitching has been exceedingly apt to and has in practice torn through the inner edge of the welting, because the ridge,

between such grooves and the in'neredges of the welts has been of less than the full 4 thickness of the welt. If, for example, a duplex welting strip be severed into two welting strips, each of the desired width for use, by an 1rre lar groove. or similar cut, such for examp e as that shown in the said patentvto Hadaway, and at the same time l,

to furnish a stitch anchoring groove, into which' the inclined edge'A merges or from which it is not separated by a-ridge of the full, unimpaired thickness of the welt then the stitching Ais exceedingly apt to and will in practice tear through the inner edge of thewelt.

The welting strip l is secured to the upper 14 by a line of through' and through stitching 15 extending into the channel 16 of the insole 17 and passing through the base of the groove 1 0 of the' welt. Itwill be observed that the grain face of the welt 1 extends to the'extrer'ne. inner edge/of ther welt, 'so that thefgrain face of the upper the ridge separating the gronvvA` i() from the t inner edge of the welt of t .e actual or full thickness of the welt, and thus prevents the tearing out of the through and through stitching 15.

I .the upper or grain face.

vIt Ywill be observed, viewing Fig. 4, that the-outer edge of the Welt l is beveled, and that such outer edge is at an obtuse angle to In'other Words, the Welt termit e upper or grain face of flesh face therenates short. of the lower or of. In so beveling thevvelt, I secure certain important advantages. In the first place, I effect an important lsaving in the material at the outeredge of the Welt, since the material removed in the iinal trimming operations from the outer edge of the welt is not or need notbe more than the amount of the bevel itself, and at certain parts at least of the shoe, as, for example, at the' outer ball portion thereof, a portion or all of the outer bevel may be left in the final trimming operation. Frequently such bevel is. left, in part,- about substantially the entire sole. After any Welt has been sewed yto the shoe, the rough rounder cuts off the edge of the sole and of the Welt. The amount of Welttaken off at the ditferent points about the shoe varies, the last Width beingusually taken olf at the outside ball portion of the foot. At substantially any point, however,

excepting the outside ball portion, the Width .of Welt cut o' -by the rough rounder is one sixteenth of an inch or more. Thisamount is invariably cut olf. The Welt is never leftuncut, but is always trimmed by the rough rounder, not only to give the approximate desired shape, but in order to secure 'clean stock about the entire shoe; that is to say, it is the invariable practice to trim the. Welt at all points, not only to give the required shape, but also to produce a fresh, cut edge.`

In addition to the width of Welt 'cut olf by the rough rounder, the trimming machine cuts olf an additional amount, usually varylng from one sixty-fourth to one thirtysecond of an inch.

Therefore, no: Welt in the finished shoe is of thatkfull` width possessed by the welt Whenlirst seWed in place and before it is trimmed by the rough rounder.` s

The trimming machine usually employed for the purpose oftrimming the Welt and sole is provided with arotating cutter composedof a hub having a series of inclined blades extending in ageneral .radial direction therefrom. Each of said blades is provided at its outer end With a cutting edge, the central o r main portionof which is ver, tical and the upper and sometimes the lower portion ofwhich are inclined so as to provide projecting cutting shoulders triangular in vertical section at! the upper and lower faces of each blade. Said cutting shoulders at the upper edg are customarily provided for the purpose of beveling off they outer edge of the vWelt to give. a finished` appearance thereto. l

The Welt shown at the left in Figs. 2 and 3 and as applied 1n Fig. 4, provided as it 'ily'to the boot or shoe, and

is with a beveled outer edge is trimmed with the sole by the 'rough roun er into approximate shape, the amount of material varying to suitthe style or type of shoe. Depending upon the style or type of shoe, more or less of the beveled outer edge is left untouched or intact by the rough rounder, and this is particularly the case at the outer ballpor tion of the shoe, which is customarily left of the full Width of the welt. Therefore, when the shoe is removed from the rough rounder, a Vconsiderable portion ofthe welt, depending in extent upon the character of the shoe,

as its outer edge beveled in the direction shown'in Fig. 4. This bevel constitutes a support and guide for the upper, shouldered portion of the trimming machine cutter previously described, and not only facilitates the proper application of the Welt and sole to the said cutter, but it constitutes a separating pointV for the cutting operation, assuming such bevelto have been left only at the outer ball portion of theshoe. An equally important advantage of that form of welt shown applied in Fig. 4 isthat be cause of. the beveled, outer edge, it is less rigid than one having an outer edge at right angles to its face. By reason of the described beveling of the outer edge of the Welt, the latter is rendered more pliable; that is, it can be more readily flexed in its own plane, and therefore can be applied farfmore readparticularly can it be more readily beniabout the toe thereof. Obviously', when the Welt has been applied to the shoe, as represented in Fig. et, its outer, beveled edge has completely subserved its function` of rendering the Welt more pliable, and its subsequent,v removal is immaterial, tho-ugh,/as above indicated, I may and preferably do retain a portion thereof in the complete shoe and particularly to the outer ball portion thereof.

Referring tothe Welt 2, shotvn at the right 1n Figs. v2 and Band shown as applied to the shoe in Fig. 5, it Will be observed that none of the material has been removed from the inner edge of the said welt at any time prior to the securing of the said Welt to the upper 14. Heretofore, so far as Iam aware,

1t has beenl customary to remove by an inclined cut the inner edge or shoulder of the welt prior to the securing of the Welt to the shoe, and this has necessitated a distinct operation. I avoid the necessity of such operation because of the fact that the duplex Welt strip is severed by an inclined out. 'After the Welt 2 has been secured to the shoe, then by a single cut along substantially the line y`y, I remove all superfluous material from the inner edge .of the Welt and insole. Even after the removal of the be observed that the groove 11 thereof is separated from the extreme inner edge of superfluous inner edge of the ivelt 2, it will the welt'by a ridgeor shoulder, which is of the full thickness of the`welting strip, thus overcoming all4 liability of the through and 'through stitching to'tear through the inner ,Furthermprg .it will be edge of the welt.

.observed hat the grain faceof the lvveltin strip 2 extends to the extreme inneredge o the welt, and that .therefore there is no con tact between any part of the flesh face or It will be understood of' my invention, one .of the welts may be 40 the adjacent edge by an formed by the flesh ,tis

structure of the welt with the upper of the shoe. Fort-his reason, the liability of moistur'e penetration is reduced to the minimum. Because of the beveled inner edge of the welt 2 1t can be more readily flexedan its own planeand therefore can be more readily applied to the boot or shoe', and particu.-

larly to the toe portion thereof. I have' heretofore pointed out, with reference to lFie'. 4, that the beveling of the outer` edge of the welt facilitates the application of the Welt to the boot or shoe and its bending about` the toe thereof. This is true because of the increased elasticity of the outer edge, thus permittingl it to stretch more readily. When the inner edge of the welt is beveled as indicated in Fig. 5, then there is secured a vgreater degreev of compressibility which permits the `,more ready application of the welt. In other words, the welts shown in Figs. 4 and 5 possess individual characteristics,

certain of which are possessed by both of them, and all of which peculiarly adapt the welt to its intended pur ose. After the welts have been secured as escribed and the extreme inner edges thereof have been removed as stated, the outer edges may be treated in any suitable manner. l j

that within the scope grooved as herein disclosed adjacent its`1`n` clined edge` and that the other welt may be grooved adjacent its opposite or square edge, in which case said square edge would constitut'e the inner edge of such welt. In bothk cases however, each groove 1s separated from unbroken ridge surface,

provided for each welt a stitch anchoring ,f shoulder of the full, unimpaired thickness thereof. The longitudinal groove of at least one of said strips is formed near the inclined edge thereof.

.Having thus described one illustrativeembodinient of my invention, I-desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and Adescriptive sense and not Vfor purposes of l limitation, the scope of the .invention being set forth in the following claims.

"1. 'That process of forming welt in indeterminate lengths which consists 'in cutting a leather bla'nk into tivo welting strips by curing two strips,

so that there is two continuous, longitudinal cuts normal to the surfaces of the blank and spaced apart Va distance equaling the width of two welting strips, thereby to form oneedge of each of two Welting strips, eachof which strips is of the desired width, and by anv intermediate, longitudinal cut extending entirely.

lthrough the blank at an inclination to the surfaces thereof, thereby .to lform the other edge 'of each of ysaid strips and: thereby se-.

each' -of the full, unreduced and uniform thickness throughout substantially the extent of the narrower' face, and each having one inclined edge, and.in longitudinally grooving lthe flesh face of each strip' adjacent one of'its edges but spaced therefrom by a substantially unbroken ridge formed by the flesh siirface thereof; and 'of such width as to provide a stitch anchoring shoulder `forI each welt of substantially the full, unimpaired thickness of each'of said.

the longitudinal groove'of M welting strips, l t si least one of said stripsbeing fernredneer the said inclined edge'thereof.-

.2. Thatl process of. 'ffrln g-weltin ininhV determinate `lengths which consists'- in. cut-l ting a leather blank into two 'Weltingf"stripsA face; in longitudinally grooving adjacent its inclined edge the flesh face'of that strip havl l ing an inclined. inner edge, and -in-longitudi.- nally 'grooving the flesh 'face bf the.. other strip adjacent its edge that is nornialto its faces, puch of said Agrooves being spaced from the adjacent inner edge of 'its welt by a ridge which ,is of substantially the unredut-ed or full thickness of the Welt and havingl as its` entire face. adjoining the groove, a portion ofthe actual fiesh face of the welt. thereby to provide a stitch anchoring shoulder of substantially the full, unreduced, unilnpaire'd thickness of the Welt# In testimonywhereof, I fhave signed my said lwelting strips .and the or remainingedges of saidstrips and substantiallyv the'extent vof the narrower name to this specification` in the presence 0f tuo subscribing witnesses.

lVitnesses:

Evnnm'r S. EMERY, MAY H. LOWRY.

. WILLIAM B. ARNOLD'. 

